Know Your Market

Anyone know what Sony is doing in this VAIO personal notebook ad, which ran in a recent issue of PROFIT Magazine?

Don’t get me wrong. This is a must-have machine, a fully functional notebook that almost fits in your pocket. But I’m disturbed by the claim that this little beauty will “keep you productive and entertained at home in the office or on the road.” (BTW, doesn’t Sony believe in commas?)

I know why an ad targeting small business stresses productivity. But entertainment? Maybe Sony thinks businesspeople by day become cinephiles at night. In the tight white type, Sony claims that the 10” LCD display and unique compact design “deliver a movie-viewing experience like no other computer.”

Sorry, friends. My experience tells me entrepreneurs don’t watch DVDs when they’re travelling. They barely watch TV at all. On the road, the entrepreneurs I know catch up on work after dinner, watch the news and go to bed so they can get up early, finish the job and go home. The last thing they’re gonna do is waste two hours watching a movie – especially on a compact screen. Why do you think they bought their $5,000 home theatre?

And let’s face it: if you want to burn DVDs, you’ll do it on a desktop computer or an ordinary 14” laptop. You could buy both machines for far less than the $2500 pricetag of this VAIO.

Why don’t Sony and its agency play up the true value of this product – its sexy design and extreme portability? This machine turns heads. It fits in your briefcase. It’s thinner than my cellphone. It’s easy to work with in tight spaces. It’s the smallest, best looking and hardest-working notebook on the market.

It says you’re a player.
Not a watcher.